Castaic Lake Report 05-21-2023
Weekly Fish Reports are back!!!
After the brutal Spring that saw the lake level come up over seventy five feet, the lake is as full as it can get and starting to fish well for all species!
Largemouth Bass:
The Bass are pretty much done spawning and are starting to fatten up. The smaller males are guarding the baby Bass around the flooded trees and are easy to catch. The bigger fish are starting to get active and can be found around bluff walls and rocky secondary points. Start in the back of the coves and work your way out towards the main lake. By far the best technique has been wacky-rigged stick worms like the new C3 Baits Slim Pro. The hot colors have been Natty Shad and Smokeshow. Both Smallmouth and Largemouth have been hammering this slim profile bait fished around the rocky walls and points that have minimal amounts of flooded bushes and trees. Dropshot rigs are getting their fair share of bites but will get snagged in the bushes often. Topwater lures should come into play soon, as the water is warming up fast and getting clear in almost all areas. Shad are beginning to show in the backs of coves but are still in the spawning mode. The coming days and weeks will be exciting and everyone is anticipating an epic year.
Striped Bass:
The Stripers are spread out around the lake and have yet to school up in the Summer pattern. Most of them are the smaller one to two pound fish that are along most shorelines. There is the usual bite for anglers fishing cut Sardines at the Buoy line at the end of the Ski Arm. I’ve seen some signs of spawning but the bigger fish are harder to come by for the most part. Smaller swimbaits in the three to four inch range are getting hit by quality fish to five pounds in Elizabeth Canyon for the first two hours of the morning. These fish can be really aggressive and will follow your lure right to the boat. Use a medium steady retrieve and give a little rod twitch every five feet or so to make the followers commit. Trolling hasn’t been very effective yet but once the Shad are done spawning and start schooling up the Stripers should be easier to target in open water. The full lake should lead to the great topwater “boils” that we’re all used to during the Summer and Fall.
Rainbow Trout:
There are still some Trout left over from the kid’s fishing day swimming around. They aren’t in the numbers that can be easily targeted, but a few of them are being caught by Bass fisherman on dropshot rigs and wacky rigs around the lake and occasionally by anglers fishing off the dam with nightcrawlers and Power Bait.
Lake Conditions:
Water clarity – 5 to 10′ in most areas
Surface temp – 68 to 73 degrees
Jim – www.661Fishing.com
